Tom Hiddleston Finally Learned How to Grow a Beard

With an acting career that swings between blockbuster action movies, creepy thrillers, and West End theatre productions, Tom Hiddleston has tried on plenty of different grooming looks over the years. Black hair, long hair, goatees, what he's called “Gene Wilder” hair, the works. Yesterday he rolled up to the Thor: Ragnarok premiere with yet another new combination: long reddish brown hair with a big beard to match.

Maybe it’s his access to the best grooming pros in the business, or the fact that he’s getting older and his beard and hair texture are changing (that's a thing), but he looks—and this is the technical term—incredibly good. And, notably, better than when he’s worn similar looks in the past. For comparison, here’s a scruffy, long-haired Hiddleston circa 2011:

So what changed? One thing Hiddleston gets right about wildman grooming is his beard-to-hair ratio. His hair today is a bit shorter around the back and sides while his beard is longer and fuller allover. Sure, his scruff is still a bit patchy, but the curls more than make up for it.

If you’ve ever tried to grow out your hair, or rocked some serious facial hair that didn’t work out, let this be proof that you can always try again. With the right product, and the right cut, and a few more wrinkles on your forehead, it might just be an entirely new situation. If Tom Hiddleston can look as rugged as Jake Gyllenhaal, literally anything is possible.